Final Fantasy: Knights of Cosmos
by Severine Halo
Summary: An A/U That takes place in a world that combines the entire FF universe. Every generation The Knights of Cosmos protect Gaia from The Lords of Chaos. Another 'Crisis' is said to take place and this time reality as we know it is at stake. Chap 3 is up!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi folks! Its been awhile since I worked on a fan fic, so lets see if I still possess any kind of This is a world that contains most of the FF universe. The state of characters resemble that of their first appearance with a few things tweaked here and there for story's sake. Enjoy the first chapter and I'll upload as often as I can!

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**CHAPTER ONE**

It wasn't fair that the bigger kids got to eat first. Denzel might have been smaller and younger than the other boys, but he had put his fair share of work in as well. Marlene always told him to be patient and wait till Tifa came back in order to handle the situation, but he had enough. He was the one who distracted the driver of the food truck while the rest pilfered unseen. Even if he didn't get first pick, he should have been at least second or third. They claimed because of his age, he had last pick at everything they stole from Shinra, Inc. While contemplating whether or not to speak up for the first time, the dark haired boy folded his arms and pouted silently.  
_  
Look at them, _Denzel thought with a sardonic look. _They keep_ _the little people down while taking for themselves! Just like the Shinra! I wouldn't be surprised if they became Turks one day!_

The oldest boy poked his head from among the crowd of kids and grinned mischievously. "Hey Denzel!" he called. "You're last but not least!"

Denzel tried paying no attention to the laughter that ensued after while he walked towards the pile of food. All that was left was a small piece of bread. This was too common of a scenario for him to be angry anymore.

"Try not to eat it all at once!" Once again the teenagers were having fun at his suspense. Several more one-liners would've followed if it wasn't for the loud whistle in the distance.

The kids of Sector 7 turned around to see several Shinra soldiers with their guns raised. Denzel's heart skipped for a second as fear found its way into his heart. He tried to run, but his feet wouldn't allow him to perform such folly. After all, there were more soldiers behind them. The other kids realized this when they tried to make a break for it.

"Your arms up where we can see them!" shouted the commander of the first squad.

The kids herded themselves into a tight circle, hokding on to one other for dear life. Denzel's were fixated on the blue uniforms that represented law here in Midgar. The kind of law he was getting tired of. The kind of law that his friends Cloud, Tifa, and Barret were fighting against. He dreams to one day join them among the ranks in AVALANCHE and save The Planet from corrupt organizations like Shinra. This was his chance to show he was no longer a coward. This was the opportunity to fight back.  
_  
If only Marlene was here to see this, _he thought as he begins to break away from the circle. Blind courage was the battery for his motivation while anger was the remote guiding his words as he started to yell. "Leave us alone!" he yelled louder than he anticipated. "All you do is bully us around!"

"This coming from the thief who stole from us?" retorted the commander with a chuckle. "Some kind of bird-brain logic you got there boy!"

"We wouldn't steal from you if you provided us with decent living!" Denzel's voice raised another octave. Part of him wanted to calm down, while the other side was cheering him on. "It's bad enough that we're trapped under this giant metal pizza!" His finger pointed to the plates above them blocking the sunlight in order to support the upper city. "Nobody cares about us in the slums! Why should we even care! The only thing you'll get back from us is this!" Denzel picked up a rock and threw it at the squad commander. "That was for AVALANCHE!"

The soldiers looked at each other as if they couldn't believe their ears. "AVALANCHE?" asked the commander. "You know AVALANCHE?"

"Uh..." The cold chill of realization crept up Denzel's spine as he began to back off. The resistance group was public enemy number one in the eyes of The Shinra.

"Maybe you can come with us and answer a few questions, huh?" The commander relaxed his posture a bit. The second-in-command stepped forward and turned to his commanding officer.

"Sir," he began. "May I propose a suggestion?"

"Go ahead."

"We've been after these kids for months and they've made our unit the laughing stock of Shinra. I doubt that the kid knows anything about AVALANCHE. What we need is to make an example out of one of them. Show them that the 39th squad is not to be trifled with. We'll plant an unmarked gun, kill the kid, and tell the media that AVALANCHE is training kids to be terrorists! That'll shake them up a bit and gain back the faith of the people!"

The commander chuckled. "Keep thinking like that and you'll soon out rank me!" He raised his machine gun at Denzel. "Sorry kid. Nothing personal."

Denzel closed his eyes tight as he heard the gun go off. He felt nothing, but heard the screams and cries of the children around him. When finally took a peek, he saw the soldiers' body language look as confusing as his own. He was shot at, but not hit.

"What the hell?" the commander wondered, but his lieutenant knew better.

"A protect spell!"

Before anyone could react, a brown cloaked figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere. A flash of metal appeared before the commander and lieutenant, striking them down.

"Take 'em down!" shouted a soldier and machine gun fire sprayed in the direction of the attacker.

Denzel and the others ducked down for cover as the cloaked figure begin to move through each adversary with extreme precision. From the corner of his eyes, Denzel could barely see the light blond hair that fell from within the hood over the person's head. He thought it to be Cloud, but the spiky-haired mercenary wouldn't be that discreet about his appearance. This had to be someone not from around here...a mysterious traveler who came here by happenstance in order to save Midgar from the wrath of Shinra. Even in the face of life and death, Denzel let his imagination get the best of him.

When the cloaked figure was done with the squad in the front, he turned his attention to the rear and somehow appeared instantly before them. From what Denzel could see, he had no materia on him, so how could he perform such a feat? Why did bullets bounce off a couple of inches from his body? And what was a protect spell? Denzel's mind racked for answer but he found none.

After a couple more Shinra soldiers slain, the figure turned to the rest and spoke in a somber male voice.

"No more blood has to be shed. Leave now and atone for the sins of your crimes."

Without a verbal response, the leftover soldiers nodded to his suggestion and ran off as fast as they could.

Denzel blinked once and the man was gone. He was the first to stand, getting a glimpse of his surroundings. Bodies were laying everywhere and in the distance he saw a familiar brunette running towards them. "Tifa!" he called, sprinting towards her. As he moved closer, he saw Marlene trailing behind her.

"I told you they were here!" cried Marlene who was obviously out of breath.

"And I told you to stay behind." Tifa turned to Denzel after her response. "Are you okay?" After Denzel nodded, she glanced past his shoulder. "What happened here? Who did this?"

Denzel was still in shocked to give a detailed story. "I was about to get shot when some guy in a cloak appeared out of nowhere and started fighting everyone!"

Tifa put a hand on his shoulder and gave a warm smile to the children who ran up to her.

"Big sis!" cried one of the girls. "A man with blond hair saved us! Was that Cloud?"

Tifa raised an eyebrow. Cloud and Barret were undercover in Sector 6. And Cloud wasn't known to wear a cloak...and he especially wasn't known to have _long_ hair.

"That wasn't Cloud!" shouted Rick, one of the boys. "Cloud can't teleport!"

"Teleport?" Tifa was perplexed. "Was there anything else unusual?" Tifa was gently trying to usher the children away from the murder scene that was soon to be swarming with Shinra military. She was suprised at their sudden excitement over this cloaked hero.

"There was one other thing," said Denzel. "The bullets that were fired didn't even touch him."

"Didn't touch him?"

"Yeah. They bounced off like he was using barrier materia." Denzel did his best to keep up with Tifa with the other children in tow.

"Barrier materia..." That made no sense. Maybe if he was a member of SOLDIER, but there was no barrier materia available in Midgar. Tifa pondered the following evidence: long blond hair, teleporting, and barrier magic. Two theories came to mind: Either Cloud has had an extreme makeover or...

Holy Knight Cecil Harvey was in Midgar.

* * *

Lukahn reclined gently in his chair, stroking his beard. Stacks of books and papers were lined up on top of his desk. He spent the past couple of days searching through Cid Lufaine's reports trying to find the answer to his long sought questions. Caffeine was no longer his source of staying awake, only the will to seek the truth. He needed to know more about the final battle between The Knights of Cosmos, and The Lords of Chaos. As a child, he grew up listening to stories of the Knights' heroic exploits and the Lords' villainous actions. The most notable tales involved the Warrior of Light and his eternal rival the Dark Knight Garland. Both were the epitome of the gods they served, Cosmos and Chaos. Nowadays, nobody remembers the Gods, who were referred to throughout history as 'Aeons' or 'Eidolons'. Many people (most notably summoners) were able to harness their power, but eventually even they were hard to come by. Lukahn still believed in their power, as well as the existence of The Knights.

The Knights of Cosmos were virtuous warriors of different abilities passed down from one generation to the next. Their sworn enemies were The Lords of Chaos, those who sought power for personal gain. Their actions caused discord, the energy that Chaos fed off of. A Dark magic spell called Apocalypse was created to trigger events that would bring him into this world for good. A white magic spell called Rela Crystal was created to counter this, but its actual verification is unknown. Prophets have spoken about a coming 'end of days' where good and evil would clash once more, and with the way things were these days; Lukahn wouldn't be surprised if it was happening soon.

"Things were probably much easier back then, huh?" he wondered out loud, thinking about the ancestor whom he was named after.

He had to find The Knights and share with them his information. The only problem is discovering their identities and what they can do. The names and abilities of Knights were known to change from time to the time. With each roster there was always a different set. And when it came time for a 'Crisis' to occur, there was always twelve Knights and twelve Lords to face off with one another. The only knights that the Circle of Sages knew about were Holy Knight Cecil Harvey and Dragon Knight Freya Crescent. World renowned martial artist Zangan was once known to be the Chakra Knight, but it was said he passed down the role to one of his students.

Lukahn sighed as he prepared to dive into his work once more. There was work to be done, and he didn't know how much more time he had left. The world needed to be saved, and someone had to make sure the heroes were there to perform their sworn duty.

* * *

Darkness…pain…destruction. These were the words that Garland lived by ever since he could remember. The Lufenians created him to be a weapon. Cornelia used him as their so-called shining beacon of hope. Hope. What a stupid name. Chaos had taken him in, understanding his twisted wants and needs...his darkest desires. Not just those of the flesh (and his obsession with Princess Sarah), but his need to control. He was made to control. He was forged to be a king that would serve his god Chaos, faithfully. His loyalty was so flawless, that he was brought back into this world by one of his own. This man was a dark knight who now fought for the side of good. A betrayer whose personal confusion and cowardice is what made him to be the pawn of Cosmos. Now Garland was back...back to take back what was once his...back to command the Lords of Chaos once more. He was back to exact revenge on the Knights of Cosmos and to take the soul of Cecil Harvey once more and bring it back to the side of evil. After all, he already owned the soul of someone close to him...

Garland was still weak to act upon his own orders, but that's what an apprentice is for now isn't it? He personally trained Leonhart to be his successor as the Dark Lord and leader of the Lords of Chaos. The young man was promising; and he had enough darkness in his heart to pass the trials that killed many before him. Leon would deliver him Cecil Harvey...

And Garland will watch as his dearest sibling will kill him.

Long live Chaos. Long live Discord.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yo! For those of you not familiar with FF2, Leonhart is the name of the dark knight who served The Emperor, so there's no relation to btw, I want to thank the two people who reviewed my story! Keep them coming and I'll keep on writing!

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**CHAPTER TWO  
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Squall Leonhart and Zell Dincht made their way down the dark corridor, wearing their night-vision visors over their eyes. Their mission was to infiltrate a sunken submarine near Dollet and find evidence for the ship's power failure. With any luck they'll find some survivors in the process. A distress call was made out to SeeD two hours ago from this very vessel and now it was empty. There was no sign of attack or even power failure thus far, but then again they haven't checked the command room. The brown hair gun-blade master and his blond fighting partner were chosen to conduct a full investigation with Quistis Trepe acting as squad leader. The SeeD legend herself was stationed in the pod they arrived in. She would be in charge of communications while Squall and Zell completed the task at hand.

"Squall," whispered Zell, looking around. "I honestly think nobody or nothing's here."

Squall paused for a moment before replying. "It's not about what either of us thinks. We came to do a job and that's it."

"I know," Zell sighed and put down his head. "You didn't have to be so straight-forward though..."

"Whatever."

Zell swore that had to be the first word Squall learned as a baby.

After a couple more minutes of corridor walking and random room inspections, Squall hear Quistis' voice through his earpiece. "Found anything yet?" She asked.

"We found nothing at the moment." Squall stopped and pointed to their left. "The control room is right down this hall."

"Finally!" Zell breathed a sigh of relief. "Maybe we can find out what's going on here! The quicker we can get this over with, the quicker I can get to those hot dogs back at the Garden!"

An actual smirk appeared across Squall's face. "You know you won't make it like usual."

Zell crossed his arms. "So 'Mr. Tall, Dark, and Moody' has a sense of humor?' Hell must have frozen over..."

Back in the pod, Quistis giggled slightly. She was grateful that Headmaster Cid put these two under her command. They were a breath of fresh air compared to the other SeeD agents she worked with. Either they wanted her autograph or a date. She was flattered by the approaches, but this was her _career._ A good relationship between companions was good for work ethic, but fraternizing was out of the question. She wasn't without feelings, though; she knew all too well the urges that came with the package of love. And the more she got to know Squall Leonhart, the stronger those urges became. Beneath that rough exterior was a man of honor and passion. Someone who was searching for something...and was determined to find it. At one time or another she wished that something was her, but she knew it wasn't possible. There was too much at stake. Their job as SeeD agents would be over and her career as a teacher. She also had her duties as The Blue Knight of Cosmos. This was a secret that nobody within the walls of Balamb Garden knew about. Not even the Headmaster himself. This was a duty that went beyond SeeD, or any representation of man-made law and order. She was chosen by destiny to protect this world, and destiny came to her in the form of Strago Magus. The elderly blue mage came across her on his travels and asked her adoptive family to be his apprentice. He trained her in the ways of monsters and taught her the lore of the Knights of Cosmos.

Upon the completion of her training, Strago became ill. On her deathbed he told her about the identities of current known knights and gave her the legendary whip, Save The Queen. So far the only knights she has met were Cecil Harvey and Celes Chere, the Rune Knight. Upon meeting Celes, Quistis found out that she was the bodyguard of Gesthal, president of the Magitek Corporation. This was a plan devised by Cecil and Celes in order to find out if Magitek was involved with The Lords of Chaos. Evidence has shown there was chance, but the identity of the Lords involved was unknown.

Pushing thoughts of the past aside, Quistis turned to the future. And right now, the future was finding out what happened to the soldiers in this submarine.

"Quistis, we're entering the control room," spoke Squall as he opened the door. Without looking, he then spoke to Zell. "Be prepared.'

Zell hit his fists together. "Always."

Squall entered the room...and saw nothing. The room was as empty as the others, with the exception of a computer screen left on. He quickly reported his findings to Quistis and moved slowly towards the computer with Zell a few inches behind him. As soon as he caught a glimpse at what was on screen, he heard a small shriek coming from his right side. As quick as lightning, Squall drew his gun-blade and pointed at the threat that lay before him. That is if he considered scared unarmed Dollet soldier to be a threat at all.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" the man threw his hands into the air. "Just take what you came for and leave!"

"Actually," began Squall, sheathing his weapon. "We came looking for you...and the missing soldiers. Which brings up the following: Where is everyone? And what happened?"

The man hesitated before answering; a hint of trepidation was all too obvious in his voiced. "I really don't know...something came out of nowhere and started attacking us. We could barely make out what it was." The man's eyes started to shift back and forth erratically, his body gestures showing signs of anxiousness. Something inside of Squall was telling him something was up-

"Wait a minute." Zell put his hands to his hips. "If whatever thing you said it was did in fact kill your crew...why were you left alive?"

"I-it didn't see me..." The man stepped back a couple of inches.

Zell wasn't finished. "How could it not see you? Except for that little spot, it had to know you were still here. And if it did attack your men...where are the bodies? What about the blood? These are simple questions that one could-argh!" Before he knew it, Zell had his back to the floor and a crazed lunatic who no longer seemed human. Or was he ever human?

"Too many questions!" yelled the crazed Dollet soldier, while trying to choke the blond martial artist. "Not enough time! Too many answers! Time is running out!" The soldier dodged Squall who tried to wrestle him off his partner and leaped a few feet away. He no longer had pupils, and he was in a half-squat position. "Your history..." he whispered."I can taste it."

Squall stood in front of Zell, his revolver gun-blade ready for action. "Quistis. We have a problem..."

Quistis stood up from her seat. "I know," she replied, her eyes growing serious. "I think I know what this thing is..."

Zell stood up and brushed his pants."Care to tell?" He and Squall ran in separate directions when the soldier jumped at them, arms outstretched.

Quistis paused for a moment, trying to make sure she got it right. "It's a time phantom, I believe. It mentioned about tasting your 'history'. Time phantoms are creatures of another world that can eat away the 'existence' of its victims..."

Squall swung defensively at his attacker. "Eat their existence? You must be kidding me..."

"There's no kidding Squall. Make sure that thing doesn't touch or you will cease to exist. This explains why Dollet didn't investigate this themselves. Nobody even remembers this submarine..." Quistis sighed. "...And this crew."

"Then why can we remember this?"

"We're discovering it for the first time."

The time phantom started running between Squall and Zell, trying to attack them with each pass it made. Both tried to counter attack, but the thing was too quick to be hit. Feeling his own frustration grow, Squall summoned a fireball. The phantom vanished and reappeared behind Squall, who had no idea where his foe was. Zell did though and expressed that fact with a roundhouse from out of left field. With the phantom spinning wildly in the air, Squall reacted with lightning reflexes by casting a blizzard spell. Ice begins forming around the mysterious creature once it had hit the ground. Squall could feel the cold air as he walked forward, his left hand outstretched.

"Answer my questions or the next thing I freeze will be your face."

The time phantom stared at Squall quizzically, its head tilted to the side. "Time is the energy of existence. Yours ran out." The creature vanished once more, this time for good.

Zell scratched his head. "I hate it when they do that."

Squall sighed and sheaths his sword once more. "Target has retreated," he announced over the radio.

"Understood," Quistis replied, adjusting her glasses. "I want you to download every piece of information from the main computer, even if it's a saved game. Time Phantoms don't come into our world without good reason. And that reason usually involves an invisible hand that controls it. With any luck we may have a long campaign on our hands."

It might be campaign that could involve The Lords of Chaos. Quistis Trepe had to be ready if that was the case.

Kefka Palazzo hated traveling to Palamecia. The ride was long, the conditions were horrendous, and don't get him started on the weather...it was just as bad as Figaro. But yet it was his so-called duty as VP to accompany the president wherever he may go, and that dimwitted bodyguard as well. Celes made for one hell of a soldier, but her constant blank expression was such a turn off for Kefka. Her one line replies didn't help much either, Kefka wondered if she was ever dropped on her head as a baby.

* * *

Because the castle of Palamecia was located in the mountains, it would have been difficult to fly an airship straight in. Instead, they had to land on an airfield a few miles away and used their own vehicles to navigate across the plains of this foreign land. Kefka and President Gesthal had visited Emperor Mateus several times prior, attempting to sell their Magitek technology. The flamboyant ruler has been waging war upon all neighboring kingdoms, for expansion purposes. He claims that his ancestors once ruled over the entire continent, and it was his divine right to do as such by any means. Gesthal loved long term wars because it generated a lot of profit for companies such as Shinra and Magitek. In fact wars were possibly the biggest reason why the world was in the state it's in now. Some cultures were on the brink of technological supremacy, while others seemed to be stuck in the past. It was the constant fighting...the destroying and rebuilding of nations that kept things this way. Not to mention the dependency on magic that these smaller cultures had. But that was such the sad, sad story of humanity: The strongest profit from the loss of the weakest. Personally, Kefka wouldn't mind everyone going to hell in a hand basket.

The president and his entourage traveled up the mountain pass leading to Castle Palamecia. Once there, they were led to the royal dining hall, wherethe purple and gold dressed Emperor was begining his dinner. There were untouched dishes awaiting Gesthal's party. When they begin to bow in respect, Emperor Mateus waved a hand. "There's no need at such time," he proclaimed. "You can bow to me later. Right now, enjoy the meal my servants have prepared for you."

"Thank you your highness," said Gesthal and sat down. Celes and Kefka followed suit. "May I say my lord that your home is as magnificent as ever? This structure is truly a symbol of the Palamecian Empire and its people."

Emperor Mateus closed his eyes for a moment while a servant wiped his mouth. He gesture for another one to continue feeding him. "Mr. President, you're too kind. I would blush if I didn't hear it for the hundredth time this week. But do not fret my friend; it is admiration like yours that motivate me to continue my quest for eternal glory. Soon enough the heavens will know my name." Mateus smirked for a moment. _After all, Hell already does!_

"Well your highness, it is confidence like yours that makes us want to sponsor your campaign with our technology," Gesthal spoke while wiping his own mouth. "Magitek weaponry was designed for military operations such as yours and empires on the brink of international conquest. I hear the Dreadnought is near completion?"

_The Dreadnought. _Celes' ears perked up. She remembers seeing that monstrosity of an airship along the way here. When Gesthal first mentioned it to her, she later told Cecil in private about Emperor Mateus' 'ultimate plan'. That's what prompted the Holy Knight to assemble the Knights after decades of separation. It was her duty as The Rune Knight to keep an eye on things while he gathered the others. Cecil had recently discovered that Mateus is the Hell Lord. There were no demons in Palamecia as of late, but that could be the Emperor's ace in the hole.

"The Dreadnought will be finished in the next week or so," replied The Emperor. "All it needs is the installation of your technology. We'll discuss business later though. Right now, we shall enjoy this delicious meal."

Gesthal nodded and resumed eating. Kefka watched the fat turkey of a president stuff his face before turning to Mateus. The purple eyeliner seems to curve as The Emperor flashed him a smile. Kefka knew what this was all about. This wasn't about divine right or egotisical conquest. This was about the crystals. And one of them was somewhere on this continent. Mateus tried the sneaky approach and no information was found. Now he's trying a slightly different method. There was going to be a lot of destruction in the name of Chaos, and Kefka Palazzo intended on being there for it all.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Things seem like their heating up! Btw, next author's note i'll give a small description of how the world is arranged so things might be a lil less confusing.

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**CHAPTER THREE**

It was a long day for Tifa Lockhart. Between hiding the kids from Shinra and working here at the bar, she felt exhausted. She was glad that it was last call and the sooner the locals left the store, the sooner she could clean up and go to bed. Cloud and Barret should be home any moment, which made her a little relieved and a little excited. Not only would she hear about the latest info on their recon mission, but she got to see Cloud again. Ever since he came back into her life, she found every opportunity to spend time with him. She was thought about if her and childhood friend could ever be, and Cloud joining AVALANCHE was one step close to that dream.

Scanning the room, Tifa looked for anything out of the ordinary. A couple of Shinra soldiers wandered into the 7th Heaven earlier, asking questions about today's events. A few well-placed lies deterred them from any further interrogation. The kids were hiding out in the basement of a neighbor's house. With the exception of Marlene, they were to stay out of sight for quite some time until Tifa can figure out who the mysterious cloaked figure was. Just as she was about to resume her bar-tending, her answer walked through the door.

A man with long blond hair entered the 7th heaven, his eyes carefully surveying the situation. He seemed to be on his guard with every step he made, until his eyes met Tifa's. A friendly smile appeared on his face, his eyes showing signs of recognition. Her first hunch was right: It was Cecil Harvey, Midgar's new public enemy number one. Tifa breathed a sigh of relief, and gestured for the chivalrous warrior to come over to the bar. Once the last of tonight's crowd had left, Marlene started off her usual closing routine with locking the doors behind them. If Cloud and Barret were to show up, they had keys to get inside.

"Lady Lockhart," greeted Cecil, sitting down. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Tifa blushed at the formality, enjoying the noble treatment. Especially from a man with a voice that could walk on water. She forgot that mannerism were different from where he came from. Nations that followed the old ways did so in every aspect. She only met Cecil a couple of times, the first being a trip she took with her master Zangan. They traveled to the land of Fabul for a martial arts tournament, and he was one of the attendees. He also was a friend of a man named Yang who was in turn a friend of Zangan. He was also The Holy Knight to Zangan's Chakra Knight. And now, she was now The Chakra Knight.

"Lord Harvey," Tifa spoke, returning the formal gesture. "It has been quite some time. Would you like a drink?"

"Water would do me fine." Cecil removed the cloak and placed it on the bar stool next to him. "I apologize for my unexpected arrival, but its urgency was required. I also apologize for the trouble I may have caused earlier..."

"No need." Tifa placed ice cubes inside of glass and turned on the faucet. "You did what you thought was right. I'm actually grateful that you protected those children. There's no limit to how low Shinra will go..." Tifa handed Cecil the glass. "Water on the rocks."

"Thank you," said Cecil and took a sip. "I do what I can to right the wrongs in this world. But even I realize that I am but one man. While I had a hard time navigating through Midgar, I came across too many instances where someone was in danger. This is why it took me such a long time to get here." Cecil smiled at Marlene who was watching the conversation while wiping the tables. "Your sister?"

"She is, in a way. She's the daughter of my friend Barret. Her name is Marlene. She's friends with those kids you saved." Tifa put away a couple of glasses. "So what was so important that you had to come out here to see me yourself?"

"Its happening. The war with The Lords of Chaos is beginning."

Tifa froze for a moment. "How do you know?"

"I have a fellow knight wandering throughout the Palamecian Empire. His name is Bartz Klauser, the Mystic Knight. He has been tracking down the location of the Air Crystal for quite some time. As you know it was once held by Fabul, but after an invasion by my homeland Baron sometime ago..." Cecil paused for a moment. "It was believed that Kashaun now holds it. Emperor Mateus got wind that the crystal is on his continent, and has declared war on all neighboring nations. He wishes to take the crystal by brute force on a notion that it might be somewhere near his land. I want to rid him of that belief." Cecil took another sip of water.

Tifa was at loss for words. She grew up hearing the legend of the four crystals and the impact they had on the vitality of this world. Like most tales she believed it to be a myth for no one had claims of seeing a crystal before. But then again what was considered myth to some lands was considered a reality to others. She was a Knight now. All things were considered to be possible. She had a duty to prevent the worst by keeping an open mind and a cool head.

"Are The Knights going to assemble?" Tifa always wondered when such a thing would happen.

"Perhaps. The usual roster consists of twelve of us at anytime, but right now there is only nine of us that I know of, including you and I. Sometimes there are over twelve, but from what I gathered from history, there are always twelve in a Crisis. We need to strengthen our defenses, and make alliances with those who stand against evil. I will call upon you when the time is right."

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "You came all the way here to tell me that?"

Cecil finished his water. "I like discussing things personally," he replied. "And the last thing we need is for The Lords to discover our whereabouts. I can't take any chances by sending messages or even using that device that you call a phone..." Cecil turned his head over his shoulder to see the door open. Two men walked in who looked like polar opposites of one another. One was blond and spiky-haired, while the other was a large dark-skinned fellow. Both looked like they had a long night.

"Cloud! Barret! It's about time!" proclaimed Tifa, putting a towel over her shoulder.

"Papa!" cried Marlene, who jumped into her father's arms.

Barret grinned, and threw his daughter onto his shoulders. "How's my baby doing?" Before Marlene could answer, Barret turned to Cecil. "Why is it we still have customers after hours! Haul his ass out of here!"

Tifa placed her hands on her hips and glared. "Barret, I don't want your-"

"It's okay Tifa." Cecil stood up. "I'll be on my way." He turned to Barret and bowed. "I apologize for any inconvenience." Walking towards the door, he saw Cloud staring at him from his peripheral sight. The blond swordsman had no particular expression on his face except a small hint of curiosity.

After Cecil was gone, Barret plopped down on a chair, and pointed his gun arm at the door. "Who the hell was that? Your new boyfriend?"

"No..." Tifa turned away. "He's...just a friend." Sometimes she could barely stand Barret's nosy attitude.

Barret's grin was wider than the Cheshire Cat. "Yo Spiky! Looks like you have competition!"

Instead of dignifying that comment with a response, Cloud walked towards the stairs, saying nothing. He had other things to deal with.

"Cloud?" Tifa looked at him with worried eyes. "Are you okay? Did everything go well tonight?"

"Yeah...Barret will tell you." Cloud left downstairs.

Tifa turned to Barret. "What's with him?"

"Nothing. He was like that ever since he met that flower girl today."

"Flower girl?"

"Yeah, the one who sells flowers for a gil over at Sector 1."

Tifa had never heard of any girl selling flowers in Sector 1, but then again she rarely went there. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy in her heart. Were they dating? Did he even like her? She wanted to ask him about these things, but she knew he would just push her away. Cloud was the type that didn't like the share his feelings. Tifa sighed and resumed her cleaning.

* * *

That night, Kefka found Emperor Mateus wandering through his illustrious garden. The guards had let the jester mage through, upon the request of the Emperor himself. The last time the two had an actual extended conversation was when they were in the dimension of Pandemonium, home to The Lords of Chaos. It was there he met fellow Lords Ultimecia, Kuja, and Seymour. Before that he met Exdeath and The Cloud of Darkness. He has yet to meet Emperor Vayne, Golbez, and Dysley. Garland himself was of course the Lord that brought him into the fold. How Kefka learned his powers as a Hex Lord was uncertain; it is a secret that he likes to keep to himself in order to keep everyone guessing.

For a moment he stood there, watching Mateus stare out into the world, staring in the direction of the kingdom of Kashaun. The garden was located at the edge of the castle, its balcony overlooking the mountain itself.

"The world is for mine to take," Mateus began to speak. "Somewhere, out there, are the four keys to my destiny. I may have devoted myself to Chaos for the time being, but I plan on becoming the Emperor of this world."

"Funny how we all serve Chaos and most of us think the same thing," said Kefka, taking an apple from a tree. After taking a bite, he continued. "Before you know it, you fools will be at each others' throats."

"Chaos expects as such," said Mateus. "He cares not whether we live or die, for he will find other ambitious souls to complete his tasks. We were given an opportunity to fulfill our desires. When the time comes for us to decide on an applicable ending, then we will initiate our plans for total domination. Assuming of course that everyone has one..." Mateus grinned at Kekfa's response: a high pitch laugh.

"You are quite an entertainer Mateus. But alas, all ambitious folk are alike."

"Then what are your motivations Kekfa? What do you want out of this?" The Emperor finally turned to face him.

Kefka finished his apple and begin to burn the leftovers with a fire spell. "Boredom. I was simply bored...of this world...of these people. All this talk about hope and justice while leading contradictory lives! And then you have the all-powerful who think they will live forever. Eventually everything comes to an end..." Kefa flashed a wicked grin. "It depends on how many you can take out before your time is up!"

Mateus looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "Hmm. Sounds like what Exdeath said awhile ago. But then again I don't expect less from The Ragnarok Lord. As The Hell Lord I intend on bringing my minions and hell itself onto this plane of existence. All we need is to gather the four crystals and activate the Apocalypse spell..." Mateus flashed a glance past Kefka.

"Someone's here," he whispered.

"I know. It's that little bimbo of a bodyguard playing secret agent girl." Kefka had no look of worry on his face. "Let her go for now. I'll deal with her when the time comes. For all we know, she might be connected to The Knights."

"Or she is one."

"Precisely. We watch her, she gives up their location and identities and we can have ourselves a 'Cosmos burn them alive fiesta'!"

Mateus nodded. "I think I would like that. A public execution televised throughout the world, to let the people know that their last piece of hope is gone."

"A man after my own heart." Kefka strectched his arms and produced a fake yawn. "I'm getting a little sleepy," he said, speaking in his normal voice again. "A man as beautiful as me needs his beauty rest. You can show us construction of the Dreadnought tomorrow."

Mateus nodded, and watched as Kefka calmly left the garden. It was almost uncanny how certain things played out.

* * *

Leon walked into the town of Kalm, his intent focused on one thing: Cecil Harvey. He just left Midgar after The Holy Knight's trail had gone cold. One advantage Cecil had over him was the ability to teleport consistently. Leon could run through the shadows to get from place to place to place, but he would always be one step behind. He didn't know who Cecil came to see, possibly a fellow Knight. He could sense the man's holy energy wherever he may be, but that still wasn't enough. He needed some way to snare him in.

Paying no mind to the stares from the local townsfolk, Leon walked back out of town. He had to devise a plan to capture Cecil and fast. Didn't Garland mention he was a native of Baron? Golbez had already ensnared the city for his own purposes, but the Psi Lord was away on business. He probably wouldn't mind him coming in to seize the opportunity of entrapping Cecil.

_ There has to be something..._

Didn't Cecil have a lover of some sort that Golbez had mentioned? She was a female white mage who lived just outside the castle. He forgot the woman's name, but she had left after Cecil had turned sides. If she had energy similar to Cecil, then she wouldn't be hard to find. A bit of asking the locals and eavesdropping would push him in the right direction. It was then decided. The Dark Knight of Garland, the future Dark Lord of Chaos was heading to Baron.

_ If I can't bring you to me Cecil...then maybe she will._


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey, sorry I took so long for the update. Duality was in high demand for the last couple of chaps, so I wanted to work on that story for a bit before returning to this one. The chapter is a little shorter than normal, but I wanted a little bit of downtime just before the fireworks set off. Because the massive amount of info this story requires, I'm going to take my time on this one. This (as well as my other stories) will be completed no matter how long it Anyways, on with the show!

* * *

** Chapter Four**

Bartz Klauser pulled his cloak around himself tighter, as he stared up at the star-filled sky. He was doing recon for two months now, traveling back and forth between the kingdom of Kashaun and the Palamecian Empire. Now he was somewhere between the two, sitting at a useless campfire with chocobo pal, Boko. Seeing his breath appear before him, Bartz sighed. It wasn't winter yet, but the early fall weather wasn't showing any signs of promise. Bartz had two missions: discover the whereabouts of the Air Crystal, and keep a watchful eye on the actions of Emperor Mateus. With the exception of the work of The Dreadnought, Palamecia made no movements against any of the kingdoms beside the initial fights that had already broke out. Those were just warning attacks just to let the other kingdoms know that Palamecia had declared war. Palamecia's impenetrable defenses forced the kingdoms to not go on the offensive. So, until the empire made a move, nobody did much of anything. That gave Kashaun time to move the Air Crystal.

Bartz has known for its location for quite some time. Cecil or any other of the knights has failed to contact him for quite a while, so he wasn't able to inform them of the news. It was taken out of Fabul because of Baron's invasion and was relocated as far as possible. Now, those who protect the crystal feel that Palamecia's making a move because they know that the crystal is somewhere nearby. Kashaun doesn't want to move the Air Crystal yet because of this fear. The actual crystals themselves weren't small by any means, but would produce shards that could be used for a variety of things. For Bartz, the crystals improved the power of his spell blade techniques.

"Well Boko," Bartz said to his one companion. "Looks like its going to be another long night, huh?"

"Wark." The chocobo's blue eyes stared curiously at its owner's.

"Yep. I figured you would say as much." Bartz laid his head back. He thought about the pink haired girl he saved before he met Cecil. She called herself Lenna. The funny thing about that is the princess of Tycoon shared the same name. He never seen the princess, but he was sure she was just as beautiful as Lenna.

Bartz's father was the previous Mystic Knight, teaching him everything he knows. He explained to him of the legend of the Knights and how they came to be. The Mystic Knight was one of the First, a group of twelve Knights who were the first to serve Cosmos. After the passing of his father, Bartz sought out other Knights. He met Cecil, Freya, Onion Knight Luneth, and Archer Knight Fran. He was told of Celes Chere, Quistis Trepe, and Brave Knight Auron. Last time he spoke with Cecil, he was told that they would all finally meet when the time was right at the Cosmos Shrine. He didn't know where that was, and Cecil tried to explained it to him, but he couldn't quite understand. It had something to do with being in between time and space, and on the polar opposite end of the universe from Pandemonium. He wasn't a dimensional traveler, so he was pretty much lost on how to get there. Nevertheless, he believed in Cecil and knew that they would all be united soon.

Anticipation overtook Bartz as he began to close his eyes. He wanted to a decent rest, but the excitement of meeting the others was keeping him awake.

"Boko," he said with a smile. "Get some rest. I'm going to be up for a while."

* * *

The next day, Quistis Trepe began her morning with the usual routine. She started reading as soon as she awakened, performed her daily exercises, dressed, had her daily blueberry muffin and coffee at the cafeteria, and prepared her lesson plan for her classes. She gave a detailed report to Headmaster Cid concerning yesterday's events.

Cid seemed to be deep into thought for a moment, and told her they would continue their meeting later. It surprised the SeeD agent and professor to see her superior look so troubled without a proper explanation. The obvious explanation would be that he knew more than he was letting on, but she trusted that her Headmaster would reveal his thoughts in due time. The information that was retrieved on the computer was a report about the whereabouts of the Water Crystal.

Quistis couldn't figure out why they were searching for the crystal, but what confused her more was the fact that they knew of its existence. The story of the crystals was to be myth, and few people actually believed in them, let alone knew where each one was located. According to the reports, the Water Crystal was located in Walse Tower, in the kingdom of Walse. That was quite the distance, and she had no way of contact Cecil at the moment. He was going to head to the Shrine of Cosmos to speak with the legendary goddess herself. Quistis then concluded that she was going to have to travel to Walse to obtain the crystal herself. She wasn't quite sure if the people of the kingdom knew that the crystals were being hunted, but she had to warn them. It was her duty as a Knight. She couldn't possibly go alone though. Not just because of the possible danger, but for an alibi's sake.

As Quistis thought about these matters while walking downstairs, she saw Squall walking up.

"Squall," she said with a small smile. "May I speak with you for a second?"

"Sure." Squall moved closer. "What is it?"

"I have a mission in mind for us," Quistis began, and looked around for a moment. She didn't want anyone else to hear what she had to say. "This mission is of utmost importance, a mission that nobody can know about."

Squall raised an eyebrow."Not even the Headmaster?"

Quistis nodded. "I'll deal with him. I need to gather a team to head to Walse. I know it seems out of our jurisdiction, but the files that you downloaded out of the computer has something to do with what is there. I'll speak to Zell. There's also two other SeeD memebers I have in mind, but they're not from Balamb."

Squall hesitated before answering. This seemed suspicious, but he saw no reason to distrust his superior. "Just call when you need me" he said, and continued up stairs.

Quistis nodded and continued on as well. She had a lot to prepare for.

* * *

Celes awakened to the sound the drums. Blinking a few times, she rubbed her eyes and walked over to the window of the guest room she was staying in. Staring out the window, she saw an army of Palamecian soldiers marching down the mountain. Celes gasped, and then ran out of the room where she saw Kefka leaning against the wall. The vice-president stared at her briefly and shook his head.

"Coming out in your undies? I didn't know women were so desperate these days," he said with a dark grin.

Ignoring Kefka's remark, Celes asked "What is going on out there?"

Kefka simply shrugged his shoulders and replied "For some reason The Emperor made an overnight decision to deploy a full-scale attack on Kashaun, Deist, and Fynn. Deist shouldn't be too hard since he already poisoned most of their wyverns..." Kefka started laughing hysterically as he away.

Celes simply stared at the madman in utter confusion. The Emperor was supposed to start his plans once the Dreadnought was launched. That would have given Cecil time to gather The Knights! Now, she had to find a way to contact Cecil. She gave him such an item, but she would have to be careful about using it in the castle. Looking around to see if anyone was nearby, Celes went back into her room. Reaching into a pouch that she carried around, she pulled out a small crystal that resembled one of the elemental crystal shards. Grasping it in her hand, Celes closed her eyes and concetrated.

_ Cecil._

_

* * *

_

_ Cecil._

The Holy Knight's eyes opened wide when her heard the familiar voice in his head. Celes was using the crustal to try and contact him. He could almost feel the urgency in her voice. Sitting up in his tent, Cecil pulled out a crystal of his own.

_ Celes. What is the matter?_

_ Palamecia has begun its assault before the completion of The Dreadnought. Magitek is supposed to be responsible for its weapon technology, but Mateus is relying on his own strength. Not only that, but both Kefka and Mateus are Lords of Chaos. I think they know the whereabouts of the crystals._

_ The air crystal, Cecil began. Bartz has already informed me that it was moved to Kashaun after the Baron invasion of Fabul. This situation has become dire. I'm miles away from the Cosmos Shrine. After speaking with her, I am going to summon the Knights so we can find a way to move the crystal ourselves._

_ I'll do what I can to keep an eye on Palamecia. I'll update you with information as fast as I can._

_ Thank you Celes. Be careful out there. With two Chaos Lords nearby, anything could happen._

_ I know. I'll be fine. You just make sure the Knights are gathered as fast as possible._

After that last message, Celes had disconnected the communication. Cecil got up and gathered his things. Because of the seal surrounding the area, he wasn't able to teleport to the shrine directly. The closest he could get was three miles away. If he made good time, he could be there in a matter of an hour. With Mateus making his move, Cecil realized it was about time he made his. He would gather the Knights and head towards Palamecia. Then, he would split the team up to locate the other crystals for their protection. He didn't want to encounter Mateus and Kefka directly, especially when they had the support of an entire army. Their mission was to get the crystal, and head out as soon as possible. Once the crystals were gathered, they could help defeat the Palamecian Empire and anyone else that threatened the sanctity of the world.

_ Cosmos, give me strength._


End file.
